Making and Using Roasted Garlic
By Brenda Hyde
Roasted Garlic is easy to use and adds a mellow garlic
taste to recipes. It seems like we see it used in mash potatoes, or
alone as a spread, but not much beyond that. It's such
an inexpensive and simple way to jazz up your dishes that
it deserves a little more attention.
Roasted garlic has a buttery texture and a much different
taste than raw or sautéed garlic. It shouldn't be thought of
as a treat or an appetizer for special occasions. Keep
garlic on hand and every time you use the oven wrap up
a head or two (or more!) and roast it. Even if you aren't
ready to use it at that moment you can wrap it well and
refrigerate for about a week. You can also freeze the
puree in ice cube trays, then remove and add the cubes
to a plastic freezer bag. Use as you need them! You'll
read about many different methods for roasting garlic,
but this is what works for me:
With a very sharp serrated knife cut off the pointed end of
the garlic head to expose the top part of the cloves. Using
a fairly large piece of foil that you've folded in half, place 2
or 3 heads of garlic in the middle of the foil, cut side up.
Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap
it up tightly and bake. I've found a 350 oven for about 20
minutes is good, but if it's a higher or lower temperature you
can adjust the time and check it. You want the garlic soft.
If you use a garlic baker it might need a little longer also.
Once you've baked the garlic, cool it so you can handle it.
Squeeze the head so the garlic comes out. You can use
this as is, or place it all in a bowl, add a little more oil and
mash it. This would be considered a puree, but can be
used in any recipe calling for roasted garlic.
Here is a recipe variation for 4 heads at once, or you can
double it to 8 as well.
4 large heads garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or herb vinegar
Slice off the bottom of garlic head, and separate the
cloves, leaving the outer covering in place. Put the
cloves in a shallow 8-inch square baking dish, and
drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about
20 minutes until the garlic is soft. Cool and remove
the skins. In a food processor or blender, add garlic,
salt, pepper and lemon juice. Process 30 seconds or
until almost smooth, scraping sides occasionally. You
can also mash by hand.
The following recipes will give you an idea of how you
can use roasted garlic in your recipes. Add it to bread
dough just before kneading. You can also add a little
olive oil to the puree and add it to hot pasta with chopped
basil. Once you start using roasted garlic you'll have to
grow your own just to have a steady supply!
Roasted Garlic Soup
Ingredients:
2-4 heads of roasted garlic
8 cups chicken broth
1 large sweet onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 large potato, cubed
1/4 cup milk, cream or half and half
salt and pepper to taste
In large saucepan, place broth, garlic puree, onion, celery,
and potato. Bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are
tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Mash or puree the vegetables.
Return to pan, and bring back to a boil. Turn off heat and
add milk, salt and pepper. Serves 6.
Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
1 roasted garlic head, mashed
1/2 cup regular or light mayonnaise
Blend the ingredients together with a whisk.
If it's too thick, add a little bit of milk. Use
in tuna salad, deviled eggs, potato salad and
on sandwiches.
Roasted Garlic Dressing:
Ingredients:
6 cloves of roasted garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine or herb vinegar
salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon minced sweet onion
1 teaspoon fresh minced basil
Mash the garlic with a fork after removing from skins.
Place the garlic in a food processor or blender and add
the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper and process till
pureed. Slowly drizzle the olive oil and stock while it's
running and puree until the vinaigrette is creamy. Add
more stock if it's too thick. Add the onions and basil.
Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve over salad
or as a marinade.
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
3 cloves roasted garlic
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Combine the garlic, vinegar and honey
in a blender and puree. With the motor
running, drizzle in the oil slowly until it's
mixed in completely. Season with salt
and pepper. Drizzle over cooked vegetables,
chicken or fish.
Roasted Garlic Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
1 roasted head of garlic
8 oz. block cream cheese, regular or light
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Mash the garlic into the cream cheese. Add salt and
pepper. Serve on crackers or bread. Store in covered
container for a week. Note: Add fresh dill to this for
a nice spread.
Roasted Garlic Goat Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
1 head roasted garlic
4 sun dried tomatoes, marinated in oil, minced
1 ounce chopped fresh basil leaves
1 5-oz package goat cheese
Squeeze pulp from each garlic clove. Place garlic in a
bowl with the tomatoes and basil; mash with a fork to
blend. Crumble cheese over the mixture and stir until
well blended.Roll into a 1 1/2 inch thick log. Wrap with
plastic wrap. Chill for 3-8 hours. To serve, slice cheese
into rounds and arrange on a platter with baguette slices
or crackers. Servings: 6
Corn with Roasted Garlic Butter
Ingredients:
1 head roasted garlic
1/4 cup softened butter
6 tsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
4 ears freshly boiled corn, or frozen corn
Squeeze garlic pulp out of cloves into small bowl.
Stir in butter, parsley and salt. Serve with ears of
corn, or add to a bowl of cooked, drained frozen
corn before serving.
About the author:
Brenda Hyde is editor of Old Fashioned Living, a freelance writer,
cook, gardener and Mom. Growing and using herbs has become one of
her favorite things.
